Metafysica

Metafysica, or metaphysics, is a branch of philosophy that examines the most general aspects of reality and what lies beyond empirical investigation. It asks what exists, what it means for something to exist, and how entities relate—such as substances, properties, space, time, causation, and possibility. The term derives from Greek meta, beyond, and physika, physics; Aristotle’s Metaphysics is widely regarded as the founding systematic treatment of these questions.

Historically, metaphysics has shaped Western thought from Aristotle through medieval scholasticism, modern rationalism, and Kantian critique. It has been associated with issues of God, form, and essence, as well as with questions about the nature of mind, freedom, and the limits of knowledge. In the 19th and 20th centuries the field faced challenges from empiricism but later revived in analytic philosophy, with emphasis on ontology, modality, grounding, identity, and the relations among objects.

In contemporary philosophy, metafysica engages with debates on universals versus particulars, the reality of abstract objects, the nature of time, causation, and mind–body relations. It also interfaces with science, theology, and logic. Some philosophers advocate naturalized metaphysics aligned with empirical findings, others maintain a priori or speculative approaches. The discipline remains central and contested, aiming to articulate a coherent framework for understanding the most general aspects of reality.